John gibbons



- UNITFD- STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GIBBONS, or wnsr TROY, new YORK, nssionon TO THE UNION HARDWARE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, or SAME PLACE.

SNAP-HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 283,337, dated August 14;, 1883.

Application filed May "1, 1883. lNo model.)

whereby its proper action would be impeded or prevented. These objects I attain by means of the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a snap-hook containing my improvements; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same at the "line 00 a: of

Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a side'elevation of the same,

and Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a side elevation and an inverted plan view of the vibratile tongue before it is attached to the body-piece.

As represented in the drawings, A is the body-piece, made approximately flat in its general thrill, and having at one of its ends an eye, a, and at its opposite end a hook, a, both of which form an integral part of said bodypiece. Near the eye a said body-piece has a cylindrical cross-bar, which forms the pivotal center a for the vibratile tongue. An opening, a is formed on one side of the pivotal center for receiving one of the lugs of the vibratile tongue, and adjoining the said opening there is a recess, a, for receiving one end of a spiral spring, as hereinafter described. Near the hook a an opening, a is made through the body-piece A for the purpose of allowing the pendent ear of the tongue to pass there through. Y V

Bis the vibratile tongue, which, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, before it is attached to the body-piece A, has a transverse concave seat, I), that is adapted to fit loosely upon the .pivot-al center a of the body-piece, and, at the two, opposite sides of said seat, thin standing flanges b are made, so that they can be bent down to clasp loosely around the pivotal center a and form a hinge-joint therewith. A recess, 6 formed on the under side of the tongue B, so as to correspond in position to the recess a of the body-piece, receives the upper end of the spiral spring 0, that is fixed beneath said tongue for the purpose of forcing the free end of said tongue upward against the point of the hook a. A pendent ear, b is formed on the under side of the tongue B, close to its free end. Said ear passes loosely through the opening a in the body-piece, so as to resist the lateral displacement of said tongue and to prevent the entrance of any foreign substance thereunder to impede the proper operation of the tongue. I

The body-piece A and tongue 13 are made of any suitable malleable metal, and the several parts are fixed together in the following manner: One end of the spring 0 is inserted in the recess 1)" of the tongue 13, and the latter is placed in position n the body-piece A in such manner that the free end of said tongue will engage against the under side of the point of the hook at, the pendent ear I) entering the opening 61?, the flanges b standing astride the pivotal center c and the spring 0 entering the recess a The flanges b are then bent down to clasp around the pivotal center a, as shown in Fig. 2, so as toform a loose hinge-joint for the tongue B on said pivotal center.

If, by any means, dirt,'1nud, or ice becomes lodged beneath the tongue B, so as to obstruct its proper working, the space thereunder, by being entirely open at both sides, will afford ready access thereto for the removal of such obstructions.

I claim as my invention In a snap-hook, the combination, body-piece A, provided with the eye a, hook a, pivot to", and opening a, as herein described,

' of the vibratile tongue B, provided with pendent car If, and connected to the pivot a by means of the flanges b and the spring G, all constructed and combined to operate as here in specified.

JOHN GIBBONS. llVitnessesz v GEO. R. MENEELY, XVILLIAM H. Low.

with the I 

